Alonso sees winner-take-all battle for F1 title

LONDON, Aug 7 (Reuters) Fernando Alonso says the Formula One championship has been transformed into a winner-takes-all battle that is going his way despite the best efforts of Ferrari's Michael Schumacher.

The Spaniard told reporters after the most action-packed and exciting grand prix of the season in Hungary yesterday: ''I am confident that I am going to win more races with Renault so everything's okay.'' The 25-year-old world champion saw his advantage over Schumacher trimmed by just one point to 10, with five races remaining, after he crashed out while leading.

It was the first time since Canada in June 2005 that the Renault driver had failed to score in a race.

Seven times champion Schumacher could have bitten a hefty chunk out of that lead in the first wet race in years but the German failed to finish, inheriting eighth place only after BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica was disqualified.

Instead Briton Jenson Button took a thrilling first victory -- and the current Honda team's first -- on an afternoon without a Renault or a Ferrari on the podium.

Alonso, winner six times so far this season to Schumacher's five, said before yesterday's race he expected Hungary and the next two races in Turkey and Italy round to be difficult for Renault.

He had seen the team coming back strongly in China, Japan and the season-ender in Brazil but he sounded more confident on Sunday's evidence.

''I think this is the most competitive Renault has been all season,'' he said. ''We should have scored some big points.

''When you look at the big picture, we may have had a problem but the performance showed that Renault is up there fighting, and Michelin are doing a great job as well. We can be very confident as we head to Turkey.'' Symonds said Renault had more aerodynamic updates planned for that race, after a three-week break that started on Monday.

''We said before Germany that the balance of power often swings back and forth in August, and we saw a perfect example of it...in Hungary,'' he added.

REUTERS AY RK2257